Urban Farming: Its benefits and Importance

Urban Farming: Its benefits and Importance

By Froots

 

With a skyrocketing population and changing climate, food shortages will be inevitable in the future. However, Urban farms may be a solution to this problem. Since the widespread awareness of global warming, it has become necessary to move towards an eco-friendly lifestyle. Adopting urban farming is one step that you can take towards a sustainable life.Let’s begin.

What is urban farming?


Urban farming, or urban agriculture, can be described as the growing of plants in and around towns, cities, and urban environments. Until recently, farming has been a rural activity only. With the development of technology, and a pressing need to find sustainable ways of production and consumption, more developed areas use farming techniques.

Why is urban farming such a popular trend?


The urban population in India is 377 million is expected to grow to 404 million by 2050 (World Urbanisation Prospects, 2014). The nutritional necessities of this increased urban population must be met. In India, urban agriculture is being carried out in numerous cities including Delhi, Mumbai, Bengaluru, Kolkata, and Chennai under the guidance of government, private agencies, and even individuals. There are many community gardens and community orchards that are run by charities, community groups, or resident cooperatives. They aim to share food, accommodate less fortunate areas of the community, and bring the community together.

Benefits of urban farming


Urban farming comes with a bunch of benefits over conventional farming.Here are some reasons why we think urban farms offer a lot of value to any community that they’re a part of:

Creates Fresher, Healthier Foods


When you buy a tomato or any other type of produce at the supermarket, you’re buying something that was picked underripe. It’s a necessity, since produce needs to be shipped across the country, and it can often take several days for it to pass through all of the distribution channels and arrive at its final destination.

Urban farming creates fresh produce closer to where it’s finally consumed. That means fewer food miles traveled, which is great for cutting down on carbon emissions to help fight climate Change. Food from urban farms is far more likely to be perfectly ripe, more nutritious, and produced in the right season. As a farmer, the upside to this is that customers are willing to pay a premium for freshness and local production. Giving people nutrient-dense healthy alternatives will help reduce the risk of obesity, diabetes, heart disease, and other conditions in the area.

Become an Urban Farmer-

Become an Urban Farmer in One Day
Enjoy the Fruits of your Hard Work Click Here

Become an Urban Farmer-

Become an Urban Farmer in One Day
Enjoy the Fruits of your Hard Work

Urban Regeneration and Use of Under-Utilized Spaces


Urban farming can put land to use that is otherwise undesirable. An urban farm, gives way to new life into older run-down communities. It creates more green space. Fortunately, the opportunities for urban farming extend beyond these: walls, rooftops – and even underground spaces, air-raid shelters, or abandoned tunnels. They offer a wide range of alternatives for enlarging food production in cities while redeveloping the urban environment.

Rooftops, walls, and verges can likewise help reduce flood risk, give natural cooling for buildings and streets, and help in reducing air pollution.

Community Involvement


Urban gardens can do more than just produce an abundance of fresh healthy foods. It can bring the residents together as a community. For urban farming nonprofits, a lot of social activity and organization is required. Everyone has a vested interest in seeing the project succeed once they start to put their own time and energy into it. Urban farms can help to create a sense of belonging among people who would otherwise be isolated from one another. Urban farms can give back to the community by holding tours or workshops to teach children and adults alike in the area where their food comes from.

Less Food Waste


Sometimes food waste occurs because stores stock more fresh food than what they can sell before it goes bad. Also, consumers buy produce and it goes bad before they’re able to consume it. Urban farms help cut down both these types of food wastage. People can harvest only what they are going to eat that day or within a few days.

The future of agriculture: Urban Farming


At first, it might appear that urban farming initiatives in small communities would barely have any significant impact. In fact, according to a report, if an urban farming initiative was implemented in every global city including India, the urban agricultural industry could deliver up to 180 million metric tons of food yearly. This is a massive figure, as it’s roughly equivalent to 10% of the world’s agricultural output. To minimize the carbon footprint of mass production and distribution, urban farming is a sure shot solution. It seeks to make nutritious food affordable and accessible to everyone around.

In recent years, not only have consumers been more conscious about how their food is produced but also about its impact on the environment. So we, at Froots.com encourage and advise everyone to stay healthy and eat healthy food!

Visit our store to buy fresh and nutrient-rich vegetables & fruits.

 

Share on facebook
Share on twitter
Share on pinterest
Share on linkedin
Share on email
Share on whatsapp

You May Also Like

Leave a Reply

Leave a Reply